Straight out from romance novels
by Maria - Madoka Ayukawa
Summary: At age 29, Atobe is just about to marry Oshitari's older sister. Meanwhile, the bride's brother finds himself in a... rather special situation during the bachelor party. Past!AtobexTezuka, AtobexOFC, onesided OshitarixTezuka. ONESHOT.


_**"Straight out from romance novels"**_  
A Prince of Tennis fic. 

Pairings: OshitarixTezuka, Past!AtobexTezuka, AtobexOFC (Oshitari's older sister). OshitarixGakuto friendship.  
Rating: PG-13 for boy-love.  
Disclaimer: Not mine. Konomi's!  
Summary: At age 29, Atobe is about to marry Oshitari's sister. Meanwhile, the bride's younger brother finds himself in a... rather special situation during the bachelor party.

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When you mix alcohol and a very important party, many things can happen. It really depends on who's the one drinking and the basics of his or her personality. Some get violent, others wordy, two or three people will turn ditzy...

"Yuushi, Tezuka weights a ton. Never thought he'd be so heavy..."

And, like Kunimitsu Tezuka, some persons turn sleepy.

"Don't say it like he intended to get drunk in the first place," Oshitari hissed, rolling his eyes, as both he and his best friend Gakuto Mukahi pulled Tezuka towards one of the suites in the Atobe manor. "I highly doubt he even considered the possibility."

"You go and tell me, the man's so abstemious that you should've seen Atobe's face when he even sipped at his wine."

"Well, everyone else was drinking anyway. Considering it was the first toast of the bachelor party..."

No one in Keigo Atobe's circle of friends was that shocked when, during his 28th birthday party, he announced that he was getting married in less than a year. Despite being a well-known bachelor, those who knew him well did notice that, over the years, the ex-captain of the Hyoutei team specially fancied flirting with a slightly older journalist from Osaka; Haruna Oshitari would flirt back and enjoy it, ignoring the asinine looks coming from some high-class girls and the gossips of their parents.

Some of those people who frequented the Atobe manor (not all of them, thank God) often remarked on how they thought Haruna got Keigo's attention mostly because she was the older sister of his close friend, Yuushi Oshitari, and even wondered out loud if this had anything to do with how well the young doctor did in his job in an exclusive clinic, and how his sister got a work in a popular youth magazine. Merely being reminded of those rumors made Oshitari shudder, since those idiots overlooked how hard both siblings worked for their respective professional degrees, as well as how many times Oshitari himself refused to have any help from Atobe's family to avoid causing them trouble.

But right then, Tezuka was practically in his and Gakuto's arms, walking very slowly from the ball room where the bachelor party was held. Oshitari and Gakuto themselves were very slightly tipsy, though nowhere as affected as their companion, and the blue-haired man could recall some details of what had happened before they left: Kenya (bless his cousin!) managed to keep Atobe distracted as a then-coherent Tezuka quietly asked him for help to leave unnoticed; Ohtori had Shishido practically trapped in his arms and his boyfriend was completely unable to escape from his bear hugs (not that he would seriously try, anyway); a VERY awake Jiroh just wouldn't stop trying to get words out of Kabaji; Taki was napping with his head leaning on a very shocked Hiyoshi's lap...

"Yuushi."

"Huh?"

"We're here." The three men had reached the relatively quiet wing of the manor that housed the guest rooms. "It'll be okay to bring Tezuka into one of these rooms; there, he can sleep as much as he wants without having your future brother-in-law worried."

"Sounds good, Gakuto. I hope the door's not locked..."

"Yuushi," Gakuto asked, rolling his eyes. "do you honestly think that Atobe fears any theft, or even thinks of not letting his guests see how beautiful each guest room is?"

"You have a point. Now, please open the door, and let me handle Tezuka."

"Roger!"

As soon as Oshitari wrapped his arms around Tezuka's waist more firmly and tightly, shifting the other man's weight closer to him, Gakuto let go of Tezuka and checked on the door. Bingo, it was open, so it took the two friends mere seconds to drag Tezuka with them inside of the luxorious suite bedroom.

"Mmmm..."

The sudden noise startled Oshitari a little. He stared at Tezuka, who looked back at him through half-closed lids, squinting since his glasses were tucked inside of his pocket.

"Huh, he lives," and after closing the door, Gakuto returned to their side quickly. Tezuka turned his head in his direction, but didn't seem to fully understand what the redhead just said about him.

"Be glad he didn't hear you," Oshitari whispered, wishing he could kick Gakuto but remembering that he had a task to fill. Atobe would never forgive them if he ever knew that something happened to Tezuka when they were taking care of him... and he had excellent reasons for it.

Whatever Gakuto was going to say (which, judging from the shorter man's expression, wouldn't be very nice anyway) was forgotten almost immediately. Tezuka, half-back to his senses, was trying to stand up on his own, weakly pushing Oshitari away.

"Oh no, Tezuka, you won't," and Oshitari didn't let go of the person he was taking care of, his hold on Tezuka tighter now. The other looked at him through half-closed eyes and mumbled something he couldn't hear.

"You're not well," he continued. "Rest, please. Allow me take care of you, Tezuka."

Oshitari kept his arms firmly wrapped around Tezuka's waist, trying to think more as a doctor than as a friend of the drunk man. Luckily, Tezuka was too sleepy/tipsy/both things to keep arguing, so he soon was back to his slumbering state, and Oshitari could easily make him lay down after taking his navy blue jacket off and leaving it on a nearby chair.

"Better," he asked in a whisper. Tezuka, eyes still closed, merely nodded at him rather vaguely, so Oshitari wasn't fully sure of what the nod fully meant.

Gakuto stood by the bed, also not sure of what he should do. "Can you handle him on your own, Yuushi? Or you need something?"

"We'll be fine," and Oshitari settled himself in a sitting position on the bed, right next to the slumbering Tezuka. "In fact, I think you should be back. Can't have Keigo coming up here to ask about Tezuka-kun's well-being, can we?"

"Sure. Right, Yuushi. Make sure Atobe has no reasons to come up here, then; I don't know for how long I'll be able to keep your sister's future husband entertained there..."

Gakuto snickered rather loudly, and Oshitari had to repress his sudden urges to grab the flower vase on the night table and throw it at the redhead, not caring if it belonged to his future brother-in-law who would definitely flip out to see the piece of fine Bohemian crystal shattered...

But Tezuka moved a little, and Oshitari was reminded of their current situation. He settled for glaring dangerously at Gakuto, instead. "Tezuka-kun is my patient of sorts right now. Don't be noisy and get out. Please."

"Right, doc. See ya later unless he passes his illness on you. Or until the romance novel atmosphere is gone. Heh, bye bye, Yuushi."

And the redhead was gone before his ex-partner's hand reached for the vase. So was Oshitari's annoyance, once he realized that it was useless to keep it, and decided to focus on the person lying next to him. Someone who most definitely needed to have him by his side for support.

Tezuka and Atobe. Such a complex relationship, they had. Ever since their famous duel in the Kanto tournament, Oshitari heard Atobe talk about how the ex-Seigaku captain was one of the best opponents he ever faced, as well as practically his ultimate and more worthy rival, even more than Echizen Ryoma himself! This powerful impression was confirmed and strengthened through their periodic interaction at the street courts, tournaments, particular reunions... and it took another detour after Tezuka's 22th birthday, when they ended up tangled in the satin sheets of Atobe's bed.

Everyone seemed to think that this was just one of the many flings with both boys and girls that Atobe was famous for in his highschool and university years. Oshitari thought the same as well at first, though he always kept his impressions to himself... but when he found a pair of glasses that obviously belonged to Tezuka in Atobe's own office desk, he knew the deal was very serious. Though he had the feeling that it'd be as short as it was intense.

After he was done checking on Tezuka, just like he did to any patient under his wing, Oshitari looked at the man's prone form. He seemed less in pain now that he was allowed to rest properly in bed, his hair somewhat tousled and his face more relaxed than during the last minutes. Even then, Oshitari kept his eyes fixed on Tezuka some more, carefully observing him for any kind of signals.

Either that, or the blue-haired doctor wanted an excuse to recall what had happened between him and Atobe.

Keigo Atobe was a top executive in the family enterprise, fully taking control of it after the tragic car accident where his father died. Kunimitsu Tezuka was even more devoted to tennis than ever, using all of his own energies into becoming the stronger player in Japan and the world, and currently being in the Top Ten of the ATP. Obviously, unlike in the romantic novels that Oshitari still liked to read at times, their love alone wasn't enough to keep their relationship alive - and after three years, Tezuka and Atobe were through. As long as Oshitari knew, their break-up was surprisingly discreet, lacking of all the drama (at least from Atobe's side) that Gakuto once mentioned it'd happen if they ever were over, and they were still in talking terms.

But, according to Tezuka's depressed face when Atobe held him at the beginning of the bachelor party, as well as the tinge of sadness that Oshitari saw in Atobe's face when they broke their embrace... apparently not all the wounds were healed.

"Novels and life... seems they're not so far away...," Oshitari murmured, looking at the sleeping brunet. The other man's glasses were still in his jacket's pocket, the jacket itself was on the chair, his tie was slightly undone. It looked like the best option was to just let Tezuka rest for a while and then help him to resist the signs of a possibly enormous hangover.

Relieved that his "patient" was feeling better, Oshitari slowly started to get up from the bed. But before he could do it, long fingers were wrapped around his wrist, stopping him.

"Tezuka?"

He looked at the other man. His expression was the same as few minutes ago and nothing else had really changed in his whole body, except for the hand that was grabbing his arm with surprising firmness for a guy who was at least half-drunk.

"Don't go..."

The words were a mere whisper. One that could easily be missed by less-than-trained ears. But Oshitari's sense of hearing was very acute after years of being on call in the clinics and hospitals he had worked, so he easily caught the two words that came out of Tezuka's lips...

"Don't go," the tennis star insisted, his grip on Oshitari's wrist tighter.

_the romance novel atmosphere..._

Gakuto's words came to Oshitari's mind as he slowly brought himself back to the present moment. One thing was to read about romance and love and broken hearts in paper or the screen of his laptop, but another was to be a direct witness of a situation that involved all of those factors in real life.

"Tezuka," Oshitari whispered, feeling the grip on his wrist as a sort of sweet torture... that he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be over.

Kunimitsu Tezuka and Yuushi Oshitari's friendship bloomed rather late when compared with the ones they made in their respective junior high schools. They knew each other on the surface only until few before Tezuka and Atobe got involved; Oshitari would join them in their tennis-related outings, watch them play or be a referee in their matches, and at times heard Atobe ramble in his own way about what they were to each other.

It didn't go beyond that until around two years ago. Tezuka's grandfather fell gravely sick in those days, and Oshitari was one of the doctors that took care of the eldest Tezuka until his demise. Whenever the patient's grandson came to the clinic, he always took some minutes off his tight schedule to speak to Oshitari, and slowly they became closer; in fact, Oshitari called the tennis player to tell him about the death of his grandfather, and even attended the funeral that took place in the Zoshigaya graveyard.

Theirs was an odd, discreet friendship where few words were more than enough for both of them. No big gestures, no big phrases or purple prose - just being there when it was needed, usually in a comfortable silence. Yet, Oshitari couldn't ignore that Tezuka still kept some distance among them, maybe because of his own personality...

Right then, though, not only Tezuka had taken at least a part of his stoic mask off, but Oshitari couldn't fully conceal what was hidden behind of his still-on glasses either.

What he read in the romance novels was unreal, fantasized, sugar-coated. What he had come to feel for Tezuka was real, tangible, and in this moment even felt painful. And even drunk, Tezuka seemed to sense it, for even after he stopped telling Oshitari to stay, he wouldn't let go of his wrist.

"Tezuka..."

The doctor closed his eyes slowly. There was little that he could do right on. He was very tired, himself, and didn't feel like going back to the party. Knowing Gakuto Mukahi as he did, Oshitari knew that as much as his best friend mock-whined about how Tezuka was taking Yuushi away from him, he'd team up with Kenya and reach quite the lengths to keep Atobe distracted. And Tezuka... he looked almost fragile, eyes closed and hair tousled as he walked the wire between consciousness and slumber.

Even if he wanted to go, Oshitari wouldn't leave Tezuka alone. Not only as a medic who was responsible for his physical well-being, but as a companion who cared for him... and as a man who was starting to care for Tezuka as more than as a friend.

Defeated, Oshitari used his free hand to take his own glasses off, placing them on the nearby drawer. When he was going to try to free his other hand to get rid of his black jacket, he found out that Tezuka's grip on him was actually less strong than before, and he easily slipped his hand out of the other man's reach. After few seconds, the jacket was neatly placed at the feet of the bed, along with its owner's silk tie.

"I won't leave you like this, Tezuka-kun," Oshitari murmured. Unlike many romantic leads of both genders, he wasn't lying to himself, thinking that he should take this moment as a little great blessing or anything. There wouldn't be any cute little snogging or great drunken sex, and Oshitari was sure that both men wouldn't feel exactly well when they woke up...

Then again, it wasn't like he had other big options right then. Atobe wouldn't be glad to know that his future wife's younger brother left his ex-boyfriend alone when he needed help. And Oshitari himself did want to be there for Tezuka one more time, after all. He didn't need any other reason to do what he was doing.

Sighing, Oshitari laid down right next to Tezuka, who was now sound asleep. In the doctor's point of view, for once Tezuka looked like the very young man he still was, not as the cold and calculating tennis idol that millions of people could see in the courts...

He looked scaringly real, faraway yet somewhat close to both the persons Oshitari knew in real life and the heroes of any fiction work. And the blue-haired man was torn between enjoying or loathing that, yet he barely had any strength to keep a coherent train of thoughts.

"Let's try to rest... we'll both need it in the next days," he murmured before closing his eyes and falling asleep not too far from the man he had come to love.

Anything else that he wanted to add would come later. Including tips on how to get rid of the upcoming morning breath.


End file.
